This invention relates generally to wheelnut/cap assemblies of the type illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,835 assigned to the owner of this invention and more particularly to such an assembly with an integral washer for insulating the wheel cover from the wheelnut.
The use of plastic trim components on wheel assemblies offers significant cost reduction over metal components. Plastics also make possible intricate designs either not feasible or too costly to implement with metal components. Consequently, designs utilizing plastic wheel covers or hub caps have proliferated among the automobile manufacturers and their suppliers. Methods of attachment to the wheel vary, using some metal components integral with the cover to provide attachment directly to the wheel or by means of the wheel nuts (referred to as "bolt-on" design.) Attachment of the cover with wheelnuts has proven to be the most cost effective method of attachment. However, it also places the most constraints on styling design. This is due to the heat generated by the brake rotor. Lack of ventilation or heat sinking can cause distortion of the plastic cover, resulting in looseness and noise and/or cosmetic damage. In the case of bolt-on designs, this heat has a direct path through the wheel stud, to the wheelnut, and into the plastic cover.
This invention effectively deals with the heat issue in the bolt-on design by using a plastic washer to insulate the cover from the wheelnut. This invention is a low cost method of achieving attachment of the washer to the wheelnut.